A new study found out that teens and young adults who vape and smoke cigarettes are five to seven times more likely to get infected with COVID-19 than those who don't. 

Vaping
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The World Health Organization has reported that there is a growing number of teens and young adults who were hospitalized due to COVID-19. The health agency report proved that as the days progressed, teens and young adults are becoming susceptible to COVID-19.

It was first previously thought that teens and young adults are less likely to get infected for the virus. However, this is also a warning from the health experts, which reminds the teens and young adults that vaping or smoking cigarettes can make them more vulnerable. 

This time, scientists and researchers provided data and evidence to back up their claim and established the relationship between COVID-19 and the use of e-cigarettes. Researchers from Standford University School of Medicine showed that teenagers and young adults who vaped are five to seven times more likely to test positive for the virus. 

Their study was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health on Tuesday. The study was as participated by 4,351 people age between 13 to 24 across the United States. Moreover, this is the first study that looks into the relationship between vaping and COVID-19. 

Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, a pediatrics professor at Stanford and co-author of the study, said through a press release, "Teens and young adults need to know that if you use e-cigarettes, you are likely at immediate risk of COVID-19 because you are damaging your lungs." 

Meanwhile, the use of e-cigarettes has become popular among teens and young adults in recent years. According to the data obtained from the Pew Research Center, 16 percent of college students said they vaped nicotine in 2018 compared to 6 percent in 2017. 

In the same research center, Grade 12 students who vaped skyrocketed from 11 percent to 25 percent while eight percent to 20 percent for Grade 10 students from 2017 and 2018 subsequently. The data showed how teens and young adults increasingly used e-cigarettes.

Many officials in the United States blamed teens and young adults for the virus resurgence. When the country reopened after spring lockdowns, young adults congregated at bars, held parties, spring break beaches, and more.

Shivani Mathur Gaiha, the study's lead author, said: "Young people may believe their age protects them from contracting the virus or that they will not experience symptoms of COVID-19, but the data show this isn't true among those who vape."

Gaiha added that the study proves that teens and young adults who are vaping and at the same time using cigarettes are at elevated risk of getting infected for the virus. The lead author said that this should be given importance because the risk is not a small increase but a big one.

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